Picking elements for filling yarns in looms with fixed weft reserve



R. B. GOLOBART July 7, 1970 7 3,519,028 PICKING ELEMENTS FOR FILLING YARNS IN LOOMS WITH FIXED WEFT RESERVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug., 8. 1968 fi' /qaer 0/ 21 TOR July 7, 1970 R. B. GOLOBART 3,519,023

PICKING ELEMENTS FOR FILLING YARNS IN LOOM WITH FIXED WEFT RESERVE Filed Aug. 8, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR Home. 80/470 6r United States Patent 3,519,028 PICKING ELEMENTS FOR FILLENG YARNS IN LOOMS WITH FIXED WEFT RESERVE Ramon Balaguer Golobart, Calle Valls y Taberner 11, Barcelona, Spain Filed Aug. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 751,134 Claims priority, application Spain, Aug. 10, 1967,

Int. Cl. Dina 47/20 US. Cl. 139-122 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention refers to improvements in the picking elements for filling yarns in looms with fixed weft reserve, of the type which comprise means to grip the filling yarns and means to actuate said gripping means.

Various systems exist for the clamping of the filling yarns by the gripping elements, some based on oscillatory clamps, one fixed and the other movable, or both movable, which upon closing, hold the filling yarn for picking through the shed.

Other systems for insertion of the weft yarn in the shed are based on two picking elements, which are each inserted on each side of the shed and which insert the filling yarn and transfer it from one picking element to the other in the center of the path through the shed by means of hook provided at the extremities of same.

These systems produce good results for the insertion of a single weft yarn, but they cannot effect the insertion of several weft yarns at the same time, particularly the above described type of two picking elements which transfer the filling yarn at the middle of their course through the shed, under the risk of slipping of the filling yarns.

With the improvements which are the object of the present invention, these disadvantages are completely eliminated, and it is possible to insert more than one filling yarn, even when these yarns are of different thicknesses and structures. These improvements consist essentially in using a needle with a flattened point and cut lateral wings, leaving a passage for the insertion of the weft yarns in a recess of the flat point of said needle, to be immediately gripped between the flat surface of a sliding plate on the base of the needle and the front internal surface of the flattened point of said needle. On the front surface of said sliding plate projects a rectilinear appendage which is inserted in a groove of the flattened point of the needle, and which unit acts as buttonhole or grommet to prevent the yarns, upon separation of the tWo front faces, one of the sliding plate and the other the front face of the flat point, for the release of the weft yarns, from coming off upwardly out of the recess of the flattened point of the needle.

The sliding plate is constantly under the pressure of a helicoidal counter spring, which maintains the flat face of said sliding plate against the internal front face of the flat point of the needle, and at its posterior extremity said plate is connected to the extremity of a rod, which in turn is joined, at its opposite extremity, to a swing lever member located at the posterior extremity of the needle, and next to said swing lever member is placed a clamping device.

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The driving unit, as well as the clamping device, is actuated by a frog (buffer) to close the sliding plate against the flat point and by a two-step fixed cam for the separation in two phases of said sliding plate from the flattened point.

For better understanding of the invention, a type of embodiment of the invention will be described below, with reference to the attached drawings, as a non-limiting example only.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inserting element, in which the protection of the flattened point has been indicated in dotted lines for better visibility, the grasping and releasing means of the weft yarns being in open position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inserting element, in which also the protection of the flattened point has been indicated in dotted lines for better visibility, the grasping and releasing means of the weft yarns being in nearly closed position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the flattened point of the inserting element, with its protector.

FIG. 4 is a plan detail of the driving device of the grasping and releasing means of the inserting element in the position corresponding to FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a perpective view showing a detail of the position of the weft yarns in the recess of the flattened point of the needle.

FIG. 6 is sectional lateral diagrammatic detail view of the flat point showing said point in clamping position of the weft yarns.

FIG. 7 is a sectional lateral diagrammatic detail view of the flat point showing said point in position for the sliding of the weft yarns.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of the inserting element slightly prior to the closing of the mouth for grasping the weft yarns.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic plan view of the inserting element slightly prior to the opening of the mouth for releasing the weft yarns.

In these figures, numeral 1 indicates a weft inserting needle, the gripping head of which is formed with a horizontally disposed flat bottom, or bottom 24, having upstanding lateral wings 2 and 3. The flat point 8 is formed by the upwardly turned end of the flat bottom of the gripping head, while the forward end 2a of wing 2 is cut away in a downwardly rearwardly extending direction to provide the inlet 4 for the weft yarns 6 and 7 (FIG. 5). The wing 3 is also cut away at 3a to provide a rearwardly upwardly sloping portion forming the inlet 5 for the yarns. The flat point acts as a fixed jaw of a mouth and is formed with a flat vertical internal face 9 and a longitudinally extending rectilinear groove 10 (FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7) for the insertion of a rectilinear finger 11 which is integral with the front side 12 of a sliding plate 13. This plate may comprise a horizontal flat portion having downwardly extending wings 13a which are slidable on the bottom of the gripping head inside the wings 2 and 3 and thus forms the movable jaw of a front closing mouth, thanks to a small vertical flat plate 14 which is integral with the front face 12.

Said sliding plate 13 is joined at its rear portion 15 to the extremity 16 of a rod 17, which extends from end to end of the needle 1. The other extremity 18 of said rod 17 is connected to the projection 19 of a swing lever member 20, pivoted at point 21 to the rear end 22 of needle 1, FIGS. 1, 2 and 4.

Between sliding plate 13 and a fixed buffer 23 joined to the base 24 of the needle 1, is placed a helicoidal counterspring 25 which surrounds rod 17 in this area (FIGS. 1 and 2) which rod projects loosely through a horizontal opening in the buffer, and which tends to always maintain contact between the small flat plate 14 of the sliding plate 13, (or movable jaw), against the internal flat face 9 of the flattened point 8, (or fixed jaw), of needle 1.

Next to the swing lever 20, in the rear part 22 of the needle 1, is a support 26 attached to the base 24 next to the Wing 2 to support a pawl 27 on a pivot 27a, said pawl having two extremities 28 and 29 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4), extremity 28 being used to actuate the driving means and the other extremity 29 to engage or hook with a projecting plate 30 of the swing lever 20. The end 31 of a helicoidal spring 32 rests on the forward side of extremity 29 of pawl 27, while its other end 33 rest on the base 24 of the needle 1. At said rear end 22 of needle 1 and integral with said needle is a journal or pin 34 which is used to affix it firmly to a device transmitting a rectilinear reciprocating motion (not shown).

The head of the clamp is covered by a protector 45 which comprises a plate having a horizontal flat top and downwardly extending side wings 45a which fit between the wings of the needle and the sliding plate 13 (FIG.3) affixed by means of screw 46 in wing 3 and by means of screw 47 in wing 2 (FIG. 1) to prevent any damage to the warp yarns upon its passage through the shed 35.

The operation is as follows:

When needle 1 is actuated by any means transmitting a rectilinear reciprocating motion (not shown), and upon insertion of said needle 1 in the shed 35, the small late 30, projecting out of swing lever member 20, has already been clamped by the extremity 29 of pawl 27 in the retracted position of rod 17, and, consequently, of sliding plate 13, so that the mouth formed by the internal flat face 9 of the flattened point 8 (or fixed jaw) and the small flat plate 14 of sliding plate 13 (or movable jaw) are then in fully open position for the insertion of the weft yarns 6 and 7 through the aperture 4 of wing 2 and aperture of wing 3 of needle 1. At that moment, the extremity 28 of pawl 27 encounters and trips over a fixed buffer or stop 36 (FIG. 8), releasing the swing lever free and allowing it to tip or rock, and through the action of the helical counter spring 25, there is an instantaneous frontal closing of the small flat plate 14 of the movable jaw 13 again the internal flat face 9 of the fixed jaw 8 of needle 1 (FIG. 6).

Upon insertion of the weft yarns 6 and 7 in shed when needle 1 effects its return travel, and slightly before lt has effected its complete course, the projection 37 of swing lever member 20 slides along a ramp which moves it to a first level 38 of a two-step fixed cam 39 (FIG. 9). The projecting small plate 30 of swing lever 20 then moves closer to the extremity 29 of pawl 27, while at the same time there is a first separation between the flat face 9 of the fixed jaw 8 and the small plate 14 of the movable jaw 13 of the mouth to permit the sliding of the weft yarns 6 and 7 (FIG. 7), out from the mouth but below the rectilinear finger 11 of sliding plate 13, (or movable jaw), which projects forwardly above the yarns into rectilinear groove 10 of the flattened point 8 (or fixed jaw), of needle 1, to prevent said weft yarns 6 and 7 from coming out of the top of the recess 40 of needle '1 (FIG. 7), while they slide between the internal flat side 9 of the fixed jaw 8 and the small flat plate 14 of the movable jaw 13. Upon continuation of the return motion of said needle 1, the released ends 41 and 42 of said weft yarns 6 and 7 (FIG. 9) then slide out of the jaws to complete their insertion in the whole length of the shed 35 and subsequent grasping by comb 43. Upon completion of the travel of needle 1, the projection 37 of swing lever 20 slides along a second ramp to the second level 44 of the fixed cam 39, thus hooking, or connecting, the extremity 29 of pawl 27 with the projecting small plate 30 which initially pushes the extremity 29 aside in a clockwise direction until the extremity is able to snap back, under the influence of spring 32, behind the plate 30. This final movement of swing lever 20 further retracts the movable jaw 13, also retracting the finger 11 completely out of groove 10, so that during the next trip, or pick, the needle 1 is inserted in shed 35 with its mouth completely open, ready for the grasping of the weft yarns.

Other modifications and improvements in the invention may be made which would come within the scope of the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. Improvements in the gripping head of a weft inserting needle for looms having a fixed weft supply, comprising a base, a fixed transverse jaw at the forward end of the gripping head, a longitudinally movable transverse jaw on the base positioned rearwardly of the fixed aw, said jaws when open providing with said base a transverse passage for a weft yarn, said movable jaw including a forwardly projecting finger spaced above the base of said needle for loosely retaining a moving weft yarn in said passage when the movable jaw is moved in one directron to a first open position, said jaw being movable in said one direction to a further open position to retract the finger beyond said passage for insertion of a yarn and movable in the opposite direction into abutting engagement with the fixed jaw to close the jaws, latch means on the shuttle including means for holding the jaws closed and for moving the movable jaw, and tripping means coacting with said latch means for closing the jaw to pick up a weft thread at one side of the loom and move the movable jaw to said first open position to release a yarn adjacent the other side of the loom and to retract said finger prior to receiving another weft yarn.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said base is provided with a pair of spaced side wings having aligned openings defining said transverse passage, said movable jaw including a plate slidable between the wings, spring means for urging the jaws closed, said latching means includes a pivotally mounted lever, means connecting said lever with the movable jaw and pawl means engageable with said lever for holding said jaw in said further open position.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said latch means includes a lever pivotally mounted on said base rearwardly of the jaws, a rod connecting said movable jaw with said lever, and said means for holding the jaws closed includes a helicoidal spring surroundnig said rod, one end of the spring being fixed to the base, the other end abutting against the movable jaw.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said latch means includes a lever pivotally mounted on the base and pawl means engageable with said lever to hold the movable jaw in said further open position and disengageable to permit the closing of said jaw, and said tripping means includes means on a loom engageable with said lever to open the movable jaw and engageable with the pawl means for said disengagement of the pawl means.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4, wherein said lever includes a projecting portion, said tripping means includes a cam mounted on a loom, said cam having a first portion engageable with said projecting portion of the lever during a portion of the movement of the needle toward said other side of a loom for releasing a yarn, said cam having another portion engageable with said projecting portion of the lever for moving the jaw into said further open position during further movement of the needle for engaging the pawl means with the lever.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,960,118 11/1960 Ancet et al. 3,288,173 11/ 1966 Golobart. 3,384,126 5/ 1968 Golobart.

HENRY S. JAUDON, Primary Examiner 

